One Trip, 8 Travel Lessons: 4 Foolish Things I Did & 4 Things I Did Right
I just returned from an eight-day trip to Sarajevo, Dubrovnik and Puglia with my husband and teenage son. As a seasoned traveler and a two-time expat, I did a few things that I should have known better. This trip was riddled with more than my usual number of mishaps: delayed flight, missed connection, broken eye glasses and three cases of food poisoning among two of us. Yes, one person had it twice! There’s more but let’s move on to the bone-headed things I did that could have easily been prevented.
Note: Costs are listed in Euros, which at the time of publication is €1 = $1.11.
4 Foolish Things I Did
- Booked Departure without a Return Plan
I booked our outbound tickets without knowing where or how much our return flights would be. Why would someone do this? Simple answer, fear. I was afraid the fares would go up again by the next day. This happened to me last year and it still stings, so I jumped and figured it would all work out. Uh huh. Once I had committed, I was stuck – no refunds, no changes allowed and three one-way tickets came to a total of €600. This may not sound so bad if coming from the U. S., but traveling within Europe can be pretty economical if you do it right.
I already had a feeling I would be busting the budget for this trip, but I pressed on. By the time I put the whole itinerary together I was a bit nervous about the cost. I’ve felt this way before during trip planning, and in the end I’ve almost always been glad I forged ahead. Maybe this time I will be too.
2. Rented a Car
It’s against my religion to rent a car for three very good reasons:
- I don’t like to drive.
- I’m the only one currently possessing a valid driver’s license.
- It always costs more than promised.
Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I rationalized renting this time because everything I read about Puglia said a car is “a must.” For me, those are fighting words. If it were not for Nigel, who I trust since he lives in Puglia, also advising me to rent a car, I might still have refused. Trains and buses, my preferred mode of transportation, apparently aren’t as efficient here. It might take three hours one way by train where a car would get us there in one. For a day trip, that’s a big portion of the day.
I wanted to stay in one place (Mamapulia Home) for three nights in Alberobello (about an hour from Bari Airport), mainly to see the UNESCO World Heritage Trulli, and then zip down to Lecce one day, maybe head over to Matera to see the cave paintings another, and swim at one of the picturesque beaches another. Well, no one else really did, and who could blame them after having their stomachs emptied out in reverse in recent memory.
Add the challenging drive to our charming accommodation in Alberobello with some narrow, curvy roads and a jillion roundabouts to navigate, I didn’t want to get back in that dang car either until I could return it.
To top it off, I chose the Fuel Prepay Option for €80! Mamma Mia! How could I have fallen for that old ruse? Well, I’ve already sinned once, it’s a slippery slope. Arriving discombobulated from Dubrovnik just after 9:00am and in a stupor from another lost night’s sleep with one person retching in the bathroom and two of us examining the ceiling wondering how on earth we’d make our 6:30am car to the airport and 8:30am flight with someone who is still very much in food poisoning hell. Somehow we did. Add the charming Italian rental car agent dolce talking me into the prepaid option by repeating multiple times that the fuel cost was the same if I filled the tank or if they did. I don’t know if that was true, but in my exhausted state and the mounting pressure to get it done by my travel-weary, waiting family, I caved and agreed.
When we took the car back three days later, passing several fuel stops within a kilometer or two of our car return point, I was kicking myself and hard. The tank was practically full as the only side trip I managed was less than an hour’s drive from where we stayed. Sigh.
3. Didn’t Plan for Rain
I packed neither an umbrella nor a rain jacket. C’mon, Rookie!
Plain and simple this is a no brainer. Especially for me, the girl who could make a decent side hustle as a traveling rain goddess. I can easily tick off several trips where I’ve brought (or made it) rain, and I don’t mean a few sprinkles. I’m talking buckets! Positano, Cinque Terra, Sienna, Segovia and Granada where the only day of that trip it rained was on the day I had us booked to tour Alhambra! Of course!
I stopped in the Dubrovnik tourist office on our last day there and the woman in line in front of me perkily asked the agent “What should I do today?” With no expression whatsoever, the agent replied, “We are under a red flag warning. You should go back to your accommodation and stay there for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning too.”
“That’s all I need to hear,“ I said as I turned and left. I immediately went to buy three ponchos and an umbrella (€16) as we had to leave early the next day for the airport and our accommodation was 128 steps above street level and the car would be meeting us outside Pile Gate, which is the main entrance to the Old City – at least a 10 minute walk once we hit the street. Rain gear was not a huge expense but one that could easily have been avoided if I’d only had my brain engaged when I packed.
4. Lost Our Only Hotel Key at the Worst Possible Time
On the third day of the trip, we were booked to leave Sarajevo at 10am for a journey heading south and ending in Dubrovnik with one stop in Počitelj (below), which my son wanted to see and I couldn’t pronounce or find on a map. I had tried figuring out bus and train routes, but nothing worked easily, so I had arranged for a driver to take us.
That part worked well. What didn’t was that I was up early and wanted to do a last walk around Sarajevo and get coffee. John and Nate came along and somehow I lost the only key card to our room. Nothing like starting your day with fresh panic! It probably happened when I pulled out my phone to take a photo. We retraced our steps but the card was not to be found. I texted the owner and he directed me to the master key he had stowed on the property. The driver was unfazed by my flub which put us about 10 minutes late getting on the road. Along the way he offered a bit of history and pointed out interesting landmarks but not too much. We could still nod off, relax and enjoy the ride.
4 Things I Did Right
1. Packed a Swimsuit
Unless it’s the middle of winter, I almost always bring a swimsuit. It takes up very little room and you never know when there’s going to be an opportunity. With this trip being in September, I had great expectations of being able to take a dip in the Adriatic, but what wasn’t on my radar yet was the opportunity to swim on both sides of it!
Dubrovnik has swimming areas with beautiful, clear water but not much easily accessible from the Old City where we stayed. Where I swam (similar to this photo) there was no sand; it was basically the back wall of a building, enormous rocks, water. Just don’t swim out too far or you might get in the way of kayakers or one of the yachts gliding up to view this well-preserved Medieval City with city walls and gates still intact.
For our next stop, Puglia, we flew into Bari, which is directly opposite Dubrovnik on the south eastern coast of Italy, the heel of the boot. For beaches, Polignano del Mar was highly recommended as was Monopoli.The former is better known because of the televised cliff-diving competitions and it did look beautiful in the photos, but it wasn’t to be this trip.
In Monopoli, we practically drove right up to a delightful beach with just the right amount of people and the surprising entrance fee of €0. Pay €40 for an umbrella and additional €6 for a lounge chair if you wish, but I was here to swim, float and tread water while admiring my surroundings. I found myself smiling non-stop at my tremendous joy of just being here in the cool turquoise water on a sunny day. My guys were off exploring the coast line which they enjoyed too. This was just the reset we needed. Molto tranquillo.
2. Brought Just a Backpack
Packing as light as possible is the BEST travel tip I can offer. Going lighter makes everything easier. Dragging a rolling suitcase across uneven stone walkways or having to lift it up and down steps can be exhausting. A backpack is so easy, and I’ve normalized wearing clothes two or more times on a trip. Doing a load of laundry if traveling more than five days is a good way to take a break and mix with locals too. Here’s me in my travel outfit: jeans, sneakers, t-shirt and summer-weight sweater.
I was so busy with last minute things including getting a new cat sitter up to speed, that I put off thinking what clothes to pack. This is what I threw together and it worked out well. My backpack contained a pair of shorts, four tops, a casual knit dress, two pairs of sandals, pajamas and, of course, a swimsuit. I ended up wearing the jeans five of the eight days because it was cooler in some places than I expected. The dress never saw daylight nor did one pair of sandals. I was glad to have the shorts for walking a million steps in Dubrovnik. You get really warmed up with all those stairs. On the day I planned to rest, I did 50 flights, some of which were while walking the city walls. I had no idea of the magnitude of this place!
3. Booked 2 Tours in Advance
Last year, when we visited Sarajevo we learned it’s not easy to get exactly where you want to go even with a taxi. I could write a whole post about it. This year, we didn’t want to miss seeing the Tunnel of Hope again and booked the Tour of Roses Tour – 4 hours including transportation to the tunnel, sightseeing along the way, hilltop vista of Sarajevo plus the 1984 Winter Olympic bobsled. Yes, it’s still there but layered in graffiti and apparently popular with social media folk. Here’s my version with Mac our tour guide. We said, “Hey, let’s close our eyes!”
After looking into when cruise ships would be disembarking in Dubrovnik, I booked a free walking tour of the city (1.5 hours) for 10am, thinking that if they were embarking in the morning, the noon tour would be sold out and we’d be trying to move around with a mob of tourists. I love these tours because they include a bit of everything: history, folklore, unique aspects of the area and modern life. Also, they’re usually shorter than many paid tours. It’s customary to tip the guide at the end. When John ended up with food poisoning and couldn’t make it, I let the guide know a couple of hours beforehand and still tipped as if John were there. Guides plan on a certain amount of people showing up and tips are the only way they are paid.
4. Applied for Compensation from Airline
On the first day of the trip, after an hour delay departing Valencia we missed our connection from Belgrade to Sarajevo, a flight that would have taken less than an hour. We were rerouted to Vienna (it’s not close) and we were booked on another flight hours later to Sarajevo resulting in arriving at our final destination 8+ hours past our original arrival time, and nearly midnight to our hotel. Argh! We were given Business Club passes providing all we could eat and drink while we waited in Belgrade. Nice but our day was still lost, and we had things we wanted to do that first day in Sarajevo.
While we were in the queue to be rebooked with dozens of others who had missed their flights, a fellow traveler enlightened us that EU 261 protects travelers who have their flights delayed for several reasons other than weather. He said that if your flight is delayed more than three hours, you could receive up to €600 in compensation. I asked the Air Serbia rep about this and she nodded and said I would need to file on the company’s website. And file I did as soon as we were back home.
Miraculously, €1200 was deposited into our bank account within 5 days of making our claim! I am attempting to claim an additional €600 and will update this post if I am successful. Hint: Keep all of your boarding passes until you get home. You might need them as I did.
It wasn’t the easiest trip or the most cost efficient by any means, but the alternative to not go, not experience new things, not see charming and impressive places I’d only read about? No question, I would do it all again tomorrow! But this time I’d pack an umbrella!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Feel free to forward it to friends, family, colleagues, even people you don’t like. If you have questions or comments please let me know by using the comment section below.
Positano 2003
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I really appreciate your candor about adventures. You know adventures, yes? Terribly inconvenient or uncomfortable events that make for good stories later. 🙂 I also agree about packing light. Patrick and I always remind each other that anything beyond the basics can be purchased at the destination. Laundry is a must, but can be daunting to those of us from the US who may not have ever or recently used a public laundry facility.
Hi David, you make a good point. Doing a load of laundry is so much easier than when I was in college and living in apartments that didn’t have a washer and dryer. I’ve done laundry in a few countries now and it has been a breeze. It’s faster – those dryers are amazing! Costs just a few euros and detergent is automatically dispensed. It’s a good use of an hour (or less) and if there’s anyone else doing laundry, they’ve seemed happy to help me figure out what to do. Sometimes the instructions are in English too. Thanks always for reading and for your insightful comments. Martha
Martha! Love your columns as you put me right in the travel picture, which, as you well know, means I got nauseous just thinking about all those flying mishaps. AGGHH! You are a courageous, resourceful traveler and I enjoy “traveling” with you and your guys without ever getting on a plane. Glad you are back safe and sound. Hugs and can’t wait for your future posts – Terri
Hi Terri, I’m glad to test out what travel plans work and don’t and share so you don’t have to. HA! I’m still impressed you pushed yourself to fly to Valencia earlier this year. That was courage! Martha
We just returned from a 12 day road trip to Italy from our home in France. We choose this mode of travel because we have a 16 y/o dog with health issues we cannot board so she comes with us. Luckily she is a seasoned traveler. We spent three days on the road (Mers-les-Bains -> Dijon -> Sallanches (with a lovely stop to drive around Lac d’Annecy and have lunch at an auberge on the lakeshore) -> Lago di Bolsena -> Soriano nel Cimino (6 days there where we visited villas, gardens, Etruscan tombs, and hot springs) -> Turin -> Chinon -> Mers-les-Bains. The advantage of traveling by car is that we can take everything we may need with us and stop when and where we want. I don’t think I could travel with just a backpack and I admire those who can. On my first trip to Europe in 1975, with my two-month Eurail pass in hand, I still traveled with a small hard-sided American Tourister suitcase and tote and bought a lightweight luggage trolley to put them on (these were the days before wheeled suitcases). The advantage of a hard sided suitcase is that it served as a seat on crowded trains! Nevertheless, I much prefer to travel by car and my spouse agrees!
Hi Maite,
That sounds like a fantastic trip! I’m so glad you commented to balance out my not wanting to drive vibe. Driving works well for so many and I wish it did for me, but I end up being more frazzled. I like that you can set your own timetable and pack everything without worry. Driving definitely has advantages. Oh, and I can completely relate to the days of non-rolling suitcases. For my first trip to Europe in 1987 and with my Eurail pass in hand, I brought a HUGE bag I could barely lift. What was I thinking??? The only thing that saved me, was my friend’s suitcase got lost for the whole two-week trip. Unfortunate for sure, but she helped me carry that huge bag or I may have chucked it at some point. Over the years, I’ve practiced paring down and feel I’ve hit the sweet spot with a backpack. This works for now, but I might not have the back and shoulders for it in a few years and will have to revert to a rolling model again. Carpe diem! Thank you again, Maite, for sharing your and your wife’s view and your awesome travel itinerary!
PS I travel with my husband. He’s a driving fiend and is more than happy to do all the driving, especially on those narrow, windy Italian roads. Just before leaving I saw that rain was predicted during the time we would be at Soriano nel Cimino so I bought a new fancy raincoat and rain hat, tossed it in the car but thankfully did not have to use it the entire time. It often looked as if it was going to rain but I’m convinced that having brought the raincoat and hat (and we also brought umbrellas) kept the rain away!
I 100% believe that you prevented the rain by being prepared. Good job! I didn’t put it in the piece (it was long enough as it was) that it wasn’t raining the next morning, so the ponchos were never used. See what being prepared does. But right after I bought the umbrella and ponchos, I bought gelato in a cone annnnnnd when I walked out it immediately started to rain. I was juggling the gelato while trying to open the umbrella, and of course, dripped chocolate on my new WHITE t-shirt!
I loved this column! At the end of the day it seems that the good outweighed the not-so-good and the not-so-good made for some memorable moments and wonderful stories. (Except for the food poisoning part!)
Thank you, Suzanne! You’re right, in the end the good outweighed the bad, but there were many moments I could not see that happening. Especially during the food poisoning parts!